Excalibur
by queentoherswan
Summary: Excalibur is in Neverland and the Lady of the Lake is passing on her mission to the person who can make sure it finds its way into the hands of the person destined to wield it. There is implied future swan queen in this and it is au.


**A/N: This came about because when I saw the original preview I wasn't sure who the person pulling the sword from the stone was and I thought it was Regina and got just a little bit happy, so this happened after I found out that Snow was actually the person who was pulling the sword from the stone. Hope you guys enjoy.**

Snow and David approached the stone before them with extreme caution. They could each clearly see the hilt of a sword protruding from the grey stone. Snow made to step forward, the sword seeming to call to her but David reached out and grabbed her arm, "Snow, no."

"But –"

"No," he said, "you know what happened to the last person we knew who pulled a sword from a stone."

Snow shook her head, "It's not like either of us will be able to pull from the stone anyway, David," she said. Suddenly a form began to take shape before them until there was a woman standing where there was once nothing at all.

Her body seemed to be formed of water, her hair seeming to flow like small rivers around her head. "Snow White," she said, "you have been chosen."

"Chosen for what?" Snow questioned fearfully.

"For your destiny, my child," she said with a smile. Motioning toward a hidden grove she continued, "I cannot leave this grove, for I am the Lady of the Lake. The sword is the only thing which can sever the connection between the boy and the shadow. Only one may wield the sword."

"Me?" Snow questioned in disbelief.

The Lady chuckled, "No, child, you are to be a messenger, to fulfill the role of Lady of the Lake."

"Why?"

"Because you must learn to trust her, child, she has saved you and she has attempted to harm you but she is the only one who can save your family now."

"How do I prove to her that it belongs with her?"

The Lady of the Lake smiled, "When you rejoin the others there will be a boulder close by, she will be the last to try but it will be the former Queen who succeeds, it will be her that saves you all." Snow nodded, "Take the sword from the stone, this will be the only time you can free it from stone."

Nodding Snow moved forward but then stopped, "When I take the sword," she said, "you'll die."

Though it wasn't a question the Lady of the Lake nodded, "There can be but one Lady of the Lake," she said, "it is time that I pass my title on."

"And if I mess up?"

The Lady smiled, "You won't," she said, "now take the sword and go, they're waiting for you."

Taking hold of the jeweled hilt Snow took in a deep breath before tugging gently and watching as the gleaming blade of Excalibur slipped easily from the stone that had encased it since the death of King Arthur himself. David stood beside Snow as he watched her lift the sword high, "Why did you believe her?" he questioned, "Maybe you're the one who is to control Excalibur."

Snow shook her head, the sword's magic had tapped into her, allowing her to speak its knowledge and decisions, "I can feel the pull of its magic," she said, "it would resist any command that I gave but the magic within it senses the magic with which it is supposed to work."

"Why do you so easily believe it to be Regina and not Emma?"

"Emma is strong, her magic far stronger than Regina's or any others," Snow said, "but her magic is volatile, because her temper is so."

"And Regina's isn't?"

"Regina can spend time plotting, planning, she has patience and her temper while volatile is also restrained and controlled when need be, she spent so many years planning her revenge, that takes control. Excalibur needs someone with that control, someone who can control both their magic and the magic of the sword."

"YOU'RE GIVING HER MORE POWER!"

Snow shook her head, "I didn't choose, David, the sword did," she met his eyes, "you know that."

David hung his head, "What if the sword corrupts her again? As it did Arthur?"

"There will be a knight," Snow said, "she will be the greatest knight her kingdom has ever seen, greater even than her father. She will win the Queen's heart and she will keep the Queen from being corrupt, she will be the Queen's champion, her defender even against the Queen herself. True love will keep the Queen from being corrupt, where true love was what corrupted the last wielder of Excalibur."

Watching his wife David could see the blue, watery hue behind her green eyes and he nodded his head, "If it is to be so, then it will be," he said simply.

Emma, Regina and Hook were just rounding a bend in the road, nearly to where they were supposed to meet Snow and David when they came upon a boulder. "What's this then?" Hook questioned as he spotted the hilt of a sword protruding from its surface.

"Excalibur," Regina breathed out quietly from her spot at Emma's elbow.

"Like King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, that Excalibur?" Emma questioned.

Regina nodded, "That would be the one," she said.

"Why is Excalibur in Neverland?" Hook questioned still examining the sword without touching it.

"There were rumors back in the old land," Regina said, "well they were more than rumors really but we all called them rumors. Arthur, after Gwenivere ran away with Lancelot, he went mad. They say the power of the sword corrupted him, allowed him to lose sight of ruling his kingdom and he began to conquer other kingdoms, kingdoms that were his allies. It is said that in the end it was his sister, Lady Morgana, the Lady of the Lake, who brought him here. She encased Excalibur in stone and cared for her brother in his delusions until his death. Until this day she supposedly guards Excalibur, awaiting the time when its next rightful wielder may come forward and pull the sword from the stone."

Hook looked all around them, "Well there's no one guarding the bloody thing now," he said, "let's give it a try."

Emma shook her head, "No way," she looked to Hook who was batting his eyelashes in a pleading way and then to Regina who simply seemed to be transfixed on the sword before them. "Nah huh," she said with another shake of her head.

Suddenly the brush before them began to move and two figures burst forth. A fireball formed in Regina's hand and Emma raised her sword before the two figures looked up to reveal themselves as Snow and David, "We heard the three of you from over by the stream," David said as an explanation. His eyes moved to what everyone seemed to be staring at, "Is that – is that Excalibur?"

Regina nodded, "That would be it," she said, her eyes once more trained on the hilt of the sword that seemed to be calling to her.

"Well has anyone tried it yet?" he asked, sounding almost like a child at Christmas.

Shaking her head Emma moved toward the path they were supposed to be taking, "No, no we haven't and we aren't," she said, "we are going to rescue Henry and then we are going home. We do not need to add a sword that drives people insane to the list of things in our possession, thank you."

Hook sighed and looked to Emma, "It's the only way to actually stop Pan," he said.

"What do you mean?" Regina questioned finally drawing her eyes away from the sword.

The pirate walked a bit away from the group, tapping his hook against his other hand, not enough to make him bleed but for thoughtful effect. "The tale you told," he said looking to Regina, "of King Arthur and his madness is very true. However," he continued, "King Arthur did not die of his madness. Madness led Arthur to a man, a man who would make a deal with him. And a deal he did make, a deal to return to his youth, to the age at which he first pulled the sword from the stone. Only Arthur's delusions remained and those delusions separated from the lad, they made him a part of this world and a part of the Shadow World. The only way to separate boy from shadow, to separate good from evil, to end Peter Pan's reign," he said, "is to pull the sword from the stone and cut the ties that bind the boy to his shadow."

Emma sighed, "Great so we basically have no choice but to try and take the corrupting sword with us." She waved to the stone, "Well go on someone, let's get this over with."

"Ladies first," Hook said with a bow and a wave of his hand while motioning Emma forward.

The blonde scowled but moved toward the stone, taking the hilt in her hand, "There's magic in this sword," she said without really thinking of what she was saying, "familiar magic." She tugged on the hilt but the sword remained steadfastly in the stone, not budging an inch. A small sigh left Emma's lips, relief clearly painted across her features, "Who's next?"

"The pirate," Regina said as she watched Hook about to motion her forward, "I'm not touching that thing until everyone else has tried," she stated."

"Afraid of what the sword will do, Your Majesty?" Hook teased as he motioned instead for Snow to step forward.

Regina shook her head, "Afraid of what I'll be accused of if I succeed, Pirate," she said glaring at him.

"Come now, love," he said as Snow tried and failed to remove the sword before David stepped forward to take his turn at the sword, "why would we do that?"

"Because none of you believe I've changed," Regina said with a shrug, "each of you believes power is more important to me than Henry." She watched as Hook moved closer to the stone after David's failed attempt, "You're wrong but I'll let you keep your beliefs."

Emma had moved back to stand by Regina's side after trying to pull the sword from its stone home. As the two watched Hook try everything in his power to free the sword of the stone Emma leaned toward Regina, her lips barely a hair's breathe from the brunette's ear, "Not all of us believe you haven't changed." She met Regina's eyes as the brunette looked to her, "I know you've changed and I know why you turned the mermaid to stone."

Regina gave the blonde and smirk, "And I know why you dove overboard," she said, "even if I'd like to flay you for it."

"I believe its fillet," Emma said with a grin.

Regina couldn't help the grin that slipped onto her lips as well at the easy banter that had returned between them now that they had a common goal in mind. "It's your turn to try, Regina," David said, pulling the two women's attention back to the stone.

Stepping forward Regina drew in a deep breath and slowly reached out to take the hilt of Excalibur in her right hand. The moment her skin connected with the hilt she could feel the tingle of familiar magic make its way up her arm and she knew instantly what Emma had meant about the magic in the sword feeling familiar. The magic flowing through the sword felt like her magic, it felt like the good magic she had done when she was a teenager, before Rumplestiltskin's corruption and her mother's influence took hold, before Snow White's betrayal. Even when her magic had been at its darkest Regina had always felt an undercurrent of this magic, of her true, unbridled and untamed magic. Slowly she pulled, not hard, barely exerting an ounce of strength. Then, as if it had been embedded in a pillow and not stone, Excalibur slipped free of its bindings with a _zing _of stone against metal.

The weight of Excalibur in her hand felt perfect a she held it. "Bloody hell," Hook said from behind her and Regina turned to look at him, "you're glowing," he said, "its glowing, you're both bloody glowing."

"Magic finding a second half of its own magic causes that," she said before turning to find Emma watching her. She nodded to the blonde who nodded in return. Moving forward Regina allowed her arm to brush against Emma's, "Let's go get our son," she said as they fell into step beside one another, continuing on the path they began on.

Hook followed close behind them but David grabbed Snow's arm, keeping her behind a moment, "The Queen's Champion," he said meeting his wife's eyes, "she's our daughter, isn't she?"

Snow nodded, "She is," she smiled, "and a great Champion she will be, for the Queen," she said, "and for our grandchildren."

"Grandchildren?"

Another nod was Snow's response, "True love can do great things," she said before taking his hand and leading him in the direction everyone else had gone.


End file.
